Home and Home Sweep

The last 2 nights have been great ones to be Nets fans. Two big wins over an up-and-coming Hawks team that came into their home and home with the Nets 6-1 and left it 6-3. Didn't catch Friday's game, but some things i liked from the box score. Gotta love Brook Lopez's 25 and 9 performance after struggling for a few games, if he can become a consistent 3rd scorer for the Nets that would be huge. Also Harris coming back obviously gave the Nets a big lift, as he scored 30 points, had 8 assists, and pulled down 6 rebounds, with Vince adding 26. My man Ryan Anderson, playing because of an injury to Eduardo Najera once again proved he's a valuable asset for this team, scoring 15 points and grabbing 5 rebounds. This guy can flat out play, and that is exactly what he should be doing for the Nets.

Now to tonights game, got to watch this one, and was nervous when the hawks made a run to cut into the Nets lead before halftime but that 3rd quarter was something to see, my thoughts:

1) Devin Harris is playing out of his mind, finished with 33 points and 10 assists, the guy has been playing with a fire lately, a fire the nets were lakcing when he was gone. He was agressive, getting to the line 14 times, and he was on from the mid-range and long distance, an overall great performance yet again for this rising star. He sets the tempo for the entire offense, as his speed and penetration ability really are game changers for this team. His presence also takes a huge amount of pressure of VC's back because as another guy that can create his own shot at any time, defenses are less inclined to double and triple team vince, especially down the stretch.

2) Ryan Anderson continues to play exceptionally off the bench, finishing with 17 points on 4 of 5 shooting, and 5 rebounds as well. This guy is basketball savvy as Jim Spanarkel pointed out during the broadcast. He does a lot of things well for this team and is proving to be a great pickup with the 21st pick. I can't say enough about this kid's shooting ability, knack for rebounding, and overall basketball IQ.

3) Sean Williams got some playing time due to Josh Boone's injury and played well, providing some defensive energy and altering a few shots with his long arms and athelticism. Also noticed that when he goes for an offensive rebound he is always in the thick of getting the ball, his long arms and jumping ability enable him to tap the ball and keep it alive very well.

4) Hayes and Dooling again provided solid minutes in relief for the starters. Hayes shot very well in his hometown, and played solid defense on Joe Johnson. However he left the game with back spasms in the 4th quarter and if he is out for an extended period of time that's not going to be good because that means more playing time for the ineffective Bobby Simmons, and also CDR is out leaving them thin at the swing positions off the bench. Keyon gave the Nets a great spark from the end of the 1st till midway through the 2nd quarter, scoring 10 points. This is what the Nets brought him in for, to be a guy that plays in bursts and gives energy for the 2nd unit, not to be a a 35 minute a game starter which he became for that horrific 3 game stretch last week from the team.

5) Vince was unconscious in the 3rd, he was absolutely lighting it up, including 5-5 from 3, he was something to watch, when he is on he's a top 5 NBA player, and he was on tonight.